Shelly comes from the Old English tradition, meaning Ledge meadow, rocky ledge.
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How popular is Shelly?
1964peak year
The name Shelly reached its peak in 1964, with 4,081 registrations (ranked #101). It had been quietly building for over half a century before that, first appearing in records in 1882. Since the peak, the name has eased to well outside the top 1,000 (around #4686) today, averaging about 31 new babies per year. Shelly has been declining in recent years. Across all years on record, approximately 86,588 American babies have carried this name.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
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